A Moveable Feast: Beer Braised Brisket

Signature cocktails. Eight courses. Ten friends. This is the perfect recipe for an Epic Dinner Party, which we’ve aptly named “A Moveable Feast”. The ten of us pair up to host nights filled with great food, great friends and tons of laughter. This fabulous tradition started by two of our colleagues, brings us all to the table to share our common love…food! The first time we hosted this dinner we chose a menu of comfort foods we loved (to see that menu click here). This time around we went with a Southern theme. Like this Beer Braised Brisket, served in a basket complete with a red gingham liner (just like at your favorite Southern BBQ joint!).

We initially chose the Southern theme after another friend of ours bought a smoker. He had made my family a smoked brisket and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. We had planned on cheating a bit and having him smoke us a brisket. But…as karma would have it (you know cheating and all), he was going out of town the week of our dinner. No smoked brisket for us.

Of course, being the resourceful ladies we are, we quickly regrouped and decided to make brisket anyway! Why not? We got this, I’ve made an oven braised brisket a time or two! And after a couple of tries, I know we got this one right. Tender, almost falling apart brisket, rubbed with spices, braised in beer and topped with a barbecue sauce adapted from culinary superstar, Ina Garten. That’s right! I would put it right up there with my friend’s smoked brisket. Win!

And now for the question you are really asking…what about the beer? Our Beer Braised Brisket was braised in a local IPA called Sweet Child of Vine by Fulton. We’re pretty equal opportunity when it comes to beer, and this happens to be what I often have in my fridge, but I’m positive there are many other great choices! The beer does help to break down the connective tissue so prevalent in brisket, so unless you are really, really are against cooking with alcohol, I wouldn’t recommend skipping it. After all, the alcohol cooks off!

Like I mentioned, this course was served just like you would get it at your favorite BBQ joint. Slices of Beer Braised Brisket topped with a smoky version of Ina Garten’s BBQ sauce. A side of Pimento Cheese Smashed Potatoes (recipe to follow soon, stay tuned!), a small container of coleslaw, and a wedge of watermelon. Southern summer at it’s best!

Recipes: Beer Braised Brisket (see below),

Barbecue Sauce: Homemade Barbecue Sauce from Smitten Kitchen (based on a recipe by the amazing Ina Garten). We enhanced it just a bit, by adding a slug of Liquid Smoke to our final product… We also placed additional squeeze bottles of barbecue sauce around the table.

This Beer Braised Brisket is a super easy way to turn a potentially boring cut of meat into a delicious, tender, treat. The key to brisket is not to rush it. It needs to cook on low temperatures for a long time, so plan accordingly!